A recent visit to Sydney saw us heading to Reuben Hills for a long overdue ‘old girls’ reunion. We were seated at the rear of the long warehouse; a roller door at the back, opening up onto the next street, allowed us to make the most of the gorgeous weather. The space is très cool; neon lights, partly exposed brick work, blue-tiled communal table, white-tiled open kitchen along one side and a cut-out section of the ceiling giving you a peek into the upstairs area. Then there’s the custom Mistral and other shiny equipment pulled together by owners Nathan Borg and Russell Beard to serve up some excellent brews.

Coffee at Reuben Hills normally features beans sourced from Central and South America, along with other seasonal varieties, which we were treated to on this day. Our orders included a macchiato and double ristretto 3/4 flat white with Ethiopian Yirgacheffe (smooth, light-bodied, hints of fruit and florals), as well as a cold pour-over (‘really f***ing delicious’ according to the menu so someone had to order it) with Kenyan Kayu (very fruity).

The menu draws from the flavours of Latin America; pulled pork, baleadas and tacos, jamon, queso fresco, dulce de leche all feature. They even have alfajor and Mexican chili shakes.

Baleada, a Honduran dish comprising a filled, folded tortilla. The filling was a mixture of eggs, queso fresco and black beans; an earthy, more-ish combination that will keep you full till dinner. There’s also a pulled pork version for meat-eaters.

Soft baked eggs with jamon, spinach, ranchero and rye with plenty of bread to mop up the runny eggs.

Tradesman brioche filled with eggs, jamon, avocado and relish; monster of a sandwich.

And, of course, the NOT reuben; super juicy, tender slabs of wagyuu salt brisket, pickled slaw and manchego topped with mustardy horseradish cream on dense rye bread, served American-style on wax paper in a plastic basket. Very tasty (much more so than a traditional reuben IMO), very messy…

Finally, we had to try the Mexican Ibarra Choc Chili shake; thick, frothy and chocolate-y (like molten chocolate ice cream), with a spicy hum. Max Brenner needs to step up their game!

Reuben Hills will most definitely be on the itinerary when I’m next in Sydney. And on the menu? ‘Really f***ing great Fried Chicken’, alfajor and salted caramel milkshakes :D